Controlling means for pneumatic apparatus.



G. M. RUSSELL.

CONTROL|.ING MEANS FOR PNEUMATIC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.2|, 1914.

1,284, 147. Patented Nov. 5, 1918.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUY M. RUSSELL, OF ROCHESTER, NEVT YORK, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN PIANO COM- PANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CONTROLLING MEANS FOR PNEUMATIC APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1918.

Application filed August 31, 1914. Serial No. 859,320.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUY M. RUSSELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Rochester, county of Monroe, and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Controlling Means for Pneumatic Apparatus, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to apparatus for regulating and varying air pressures in automatic musical instruments.

Among other objects, the invention is intended to provide a simple and eifective means for regulating and varying the degree of exhaust utilized in driving a wind motor or the like.

The invention may be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which an illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown diagrammatically as comprising a take-up roll, and means for mounting a music sheet spool, a wind motor for driving the same, and means for regulating and varying the degree of suction applied to the wind motor.

Referring to the drawing, the usual spool box is shown provided with devices 1 and 2 to receive a music sheet spool, a tracker 3, and a take-up roll 4. The spool and take-up roll may be driven in the usual manner'by a pneumatic motor M, which is exhausted through a duct 5. Suitably placed in the duct 5 is a throttle valve 6, connected by a link 7 with a manually operable lever 8, fulcrumed at 9 and having a handle 10 and an index 11 cooperating with the dial 12. By means of the lever 10 the throttle valve 6 may be adjusted to open or restrict, more or less, the flow of air through the duct 5, so as to vary the speed of the motor. The dial 12 is graduated to indicate the different speeds at which the motor is driven, accordingly as the index 11 and handle 10 are set to produce a corresponding adjustment of the throttle valve 6.

In whatever adjustment the throttle valve 6 is set to produce a corresponding speed of the motor M, it is desired that the selected speed be maintained uniform unless and until it is purposely varied at the will of the operator, or otherwise. For this purpose a regulator 15 is provided, comprising a bellows communicating at 16 with the duct 5 and having a port 17 opening into an exhaust chest 18, which is exhausted by the feeder bellows 19 through any practicable connection such as a duct 20 from the reservoir 21, which in turn is connected by ducts 22 and 23 with the feeder bellows 1919. Treadles 24, 25 are shown diagrammatically to illustrate means for operating the feeder bellows.

The regulator 15 is provided with a spring 27 connecting the movable board of the regulator 15 with an adjusting screw 28. By means of the screw 28 the tension of the spring 27 may be adjusted so as to produce the desired pull thereon.

The port 17 between the regulator 15 and suction chest 18 has a valve 30, mounted upon one end of a lever 31, fulcrumed at 32 and having its other end contacting with a pin 33 which bears against the movable board of the regulator. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, this arrangement will maintain a uniform degree of exhaust in the duct 5, the degree thereof being determined by the tension to which the spring 27 is adjusted.

A link 40 is pivotally connected to the movable board of the regulator bellows 15, and a stem 41 of said link slides in a sleeve 42 of a second link 43, pivoted to 44 to the lower end of a hand lever 45. A spring 46 is connected to the link 40 at 47, and is also connected at its opposite end to the link 43 at 48. For the purposes of the specific apparatus, the handle 45 and the parts connecting the same with the regulator 15 are normally ineffective to vary the regulation which is controlled by the tension of the spring 27. If, however, the hand lever 45 is rocked clockwise in the drawing the spring 46 is put under substantial tension, thereby to increase the pull on the movable board of the regulator 15, so as to vary the regulation thereby, permit a further opening of the valve 30, and increase the speed of the motor M. On the other hand, if the lever 45 be rocked contraclockwise, the spring 46 will be compressed, so as to exert a push on the movable board of the regulator 15 in opposition to the pull of the spring 27, thereby tending further to close the valve 30 and reduce the speed of the motor M. At all times, however, in the preferred construction shown in the drawing, the spring 46 suppliessure to said regulating pneumatic through a yielding connection between the hand lever and the movable board of the regulator 15, so that its regulating functions may still be performed however the tension or compression of the spring 46 may be-varied.

In the use of the described apparatus, a perforated note sheet may be introduced as usual, and a handle 10 maybe set to prescribe the desired normal speed of the sheet ordinarily in accordance witha tempoinstruction indicated upon the note sheet .I itself. This initial adjustment of .the handle lOlserves to start the feedof the. note sheet ata proper normal speed. .The action of the regulator 15 will .preservethis normal speed uniform throughout the play- .inguntll some intentional readjustment. If

the operator desires, hemay so. manipulate the handle 45 as to produce accelerando. and retardoeflects, orother variationsin tempo,

.from'the normal speed provided for by: the adjustmentof. the handlelO. .And whatever variation is made .by manipulating the bandle 45, the yielding character of the;illustrative spring 46 merely modifies the regulating action of the regulator 15,while preserving its character as a. regulator, as would be well understood by those skilled in the art.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular organization and mode of operation hereinbefore'described since the invention maybe variously modified within the scope of the. subjoined claims.

" Claims: I

1. In an automatic musical instrument the combination f a pneumatically operated device; a source of power for operating said device; a regulating pneumatic operatively interposed between said device and said source of power; a sprlngtendlng to ex- .pand said pneumatic; resilient means connected to said pneumatic; and meansfor applying tension or pressure to said pneumatic through said resilient means.

2. In anautomatic musical instrument the combination of a pneumatically operatedde-- source or'power; a spring tending to expand sald pneumatic; a second spring connected to said regulating pneumatic; and manually controlled means to applytension or pressaid second spring.

3.:In an automatic musical instrument, the combination of a wind motor; a throttle valve to fix the normal speed of operation 'of'the Wind motor; a regulator bellows to regulate the effective pneumatic power operating said wind motor; a spring tending to expand said regulator bellows and means operable independently of said spring for varying the regulation by the regulator bellowsincluding a manually operable device having a resilient connection with the movable board of .said regulator bellows.

.4. In an'automatic musical instrument, the

combination of a wind motor; a throttle 'valveto fix thenormal speed ofthe wind .motor; aregulator bellows to;rcgulate the effective pneumatic power operating said said regulator bellows and means independently 'for applying tension or pressure to the regulator pneumatic, including a manually perable device having a spring connection with movable board of the regulator bellows.

6.. In an automatic musical instrument the combination of-a wind motor; a throttle valve to fix the normal speed of the wind motor; a regulator bellows to regulate'the .efi'ective pneumatic power operating said wind motor; a spring tending to expand sald regulator bellows; a link aliixed to the movable board of the regulator bellows; a

link .a'flixedto a hand lever and slidably cn- ,gaging. said'first link; and a spring connectingsaid links.

In testimony whereof, I have slgned my name to this specification, in'the presence of two subscrlblng witnesses.

GUY .M. RUSSELL.

Witnesses:

PHILLIP H. CoMMnnronD, C. F. ODELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained'for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner or ratenta, Washington, 10:0. 

